US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations limit the amount of particulate matter, measured in grams per hour, that may be emitted by a wood oven, wood stove, pellet stove or wood-fired boiler. Pollution control devices (PCDs), such as catalytic converters, are frequently used to clean wood-fired exhaust. A catalytic converter essentially burns unburned fuel and gases (smoke) from the fire before it exits through a flue (stack). However, conventional catalytic converters require careful monitoring and manual adjustment, such as utilizing them only after they have reached catalytic ignition temperature (between about 350° F. and about 600° F.). Some wood-fired devices employ damper(s) and fan(s) to transfer oxygen to facilitate the combustion of bio-fuel. However, dampers and fans generally should not be opened or operated until a pollution control device reaches operating temperature, so the catalytic converter can be switched into service. Manually monitoring and controlling a wood-fired device and its associated catalytic converter is inconvenient and can lead to inefficient operation and, in some cases, clogging of the catalyst-based pollution control device. Some devices also provide manual bypass modes, which do not control emissions during start up and fuel reload operations.